The Cavs did not rule out playing Delonte West in tonight’s season opener against the Celtics.

But the Cavs guard is facing more trouble off the court after WOIO-TV in Cleveland reported Monday that his wife filed a domestic violence report.

“We’re aware of it, obviously,” Cavs coach Mike Brown said, “we’re going to let the events unfold and we’ll just monitor it as it goes along.”

West did not play in any of the eight preseason games and missed eight days of practice this month during two separate absences from training camp. The first absence, for two days, was unexcused. Then after returning to the team for nearly a week, the Cavs let West leave for six days to deal with personal matters, though, he did do some private workouts with coaches.

West arrived at camp less than two weeks after an arrest on misdemeanor weapons possession charges after a traffic stop near his Maryland home. He also missed a chunk of last year’s camp and later said he was being treated for a mood disorder.

Brown did not rule West in or out tonight. “I have not made a decision yet about him.” Brown does not have to decide until he turns in the roster of the 12 active players for the game an hour before the 7:30 tipoff.

TOUGH ONE TO MISS One Cavalier definitely out tonight — and wishing otherwise — is forward Leon Powe, a former Celtic. He is recovering from offseason knee surgery and joked that he asked the Cavs staff to “just get me 10 minutes and I’ll get you 10 (points) and eight (rebounds).” Powe hopes to be back around the All-Star break, which means he could play when these teams meet again Feb. 25 in Boston. Powe spent his first three seasons with the Celtics, helping them win a title in 2008, before signing with the Cavs in the summer. He called it “a little strange” to view the Celtics a rival. “But I’m with the side that wanted me and took a chance on me, so I’m with them 100 percent.

NOT THERE YET Coach Mike Brown is excited for tonight’s opener against the Celtics. “It’s good for the game, good for the fans. There’s the buzz in the air, the little bit of energy in the air, so it’s good.” But that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t change the schedule a bit. “For me personally, I wouldn’t mind if we had another week or two of practice because there’s some things we still need to shore up.”

DOESN’T MATTER NOW The home team has won the last 16 games in the Cavs-Celtics series. That includes an historic beating delivered by the Cavs over the Celtics last April. Cleveland’s 107-76 rout of Boston was its most lopsided win ever over the Celtics. “That’s the past ... we can’t worry about what happened in the past,” James said.

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CAVS EXTEND HICKSON The Cavs exercised the third-year contract option on second-year forward J.J. Hickson, which keeps him under contract with the Cavaliers through the 2010-11 season. “J.J. is a young, talented player who continues to work hard and still has a great deal of upside,” Cavs general manager Danny Ferry said in a statement released by the team Monday. “We are excited to keep him in our program and help him fulfill his potential.” The Cavs’ first-round pick in 2008, Hickson looks poised to be a bigger part of the rotation this season. In 62 games as a rookie, he averaged 4.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in 11.4 minutes per game, shooting 51.5 percent. He averaged 9.8 points in six starts and Brown thinks Hickson has the potential to become a big-time scorer in the league.